The Ultimate NXT Draft: Picks 31-40

It has been three years since Jonah and I did an NXT Fantasy Draft to make our picks of who are going to be the next great superstars in the WWE. Then, about six months ago, we reviewed all of the picks to figure out what went right and what went wrong. We realized three things through this process. First off, very few wrestlers are in NXT from that original draft, and even the ones that are have changed dramatically over the last few years. Second, and more importantly for the strategy of this draft, is that we realized we cannot rely on WWE success to determine the strength of our selections as many of their creative decisions do not optimize their talent. So this draft is not predicting future success as much as it is drafting the wrestlers that we would want to build our organization around. Finally, we decided to be inclusive in this draft so not only will we have NXT and all of the wrestlers at the Performance Center, but we will include everyone over in NXT UK and even 205 Live since all of them are still working to progress in their career.

We've now made it to picks 31-40, where we really have to start going more with projection than results.

31. Jonah selects Taynara Conti

Jonah: Another one of my favorites like Dakota Kai is, there’s just something about Taynara Conti that’s awesome. She’s super cute and she could destroy the vast majority of the roster in a shoot. Like Kai she just needs some actual TV exposure, so I guess let’s make them a tag team on my new show. She is also only 25, so she has a long career ahead of her.

Joe: Jonah, I decided to make you mentioning ages a drinking game, and I have died three times from alcohol poisoning. I like Conti too and am surprised she hasn’t been given more TV time. It may be a good thing as they might actually wait for her to develop more to give her a strong push when she finally becomes a thing. I like her more than Dakota Kai, but she still has a lot of development to do.

Jonah: Number one get your tolerance up, Nancy. Two, I told you, I’m about the future. Three, Conti is just plain awesome.

32. Joe selects Oney Lorcan

Joe: Oney Lorcan is nonstop action in the ring. He’s been put in the ring with every level of competition in NXT, and his matches are always somewhere between good and great. He’s probably not a future world champion, but I would be very surprised if he wasn’t a champion of some sort in the future.

Jonah: Is he Total Nonstop Action in the ring? Lorcan is a very good wrestler, but he still looks super generic to me. He rarely talks which makes me think he’s not a great promo, but like I said he is a very good wrestler. This is really too late for him to go, but I had some people I really wanted so I went with my favorites.

33. Joe selects Shane Thorne

Joe: Shane Thorne is a guy who has gotten lost in the shuffle recently when his tag team partner, Nick Miller (now back to being Mikey Nicholls) left to wrestle for New Japan. But Thorne was always the star of the team, and he’s shown some incredible things as part of a tag team. It will be interesting to see whether they try to find him a tag partner or let him spread his wings as a singles competitor. Either way, the guy has a great look, great in ring work, and has experience cutting promos. I could see him rising really high or getting released from the company altogether, but the talent is there. It’s just a matter of finding the right spot.

Jonah: Shane Thorne is definitely underutilized. I was a big fan of The Mighty Don’t Kneel because they were a great team and that name is unbelievably awesome. I thought the heel turn was a little odd and hurt them as they had really gotten over as babyfaces by being great in the ring. He’s got a good look and should be successful when they find a good place for him.

Joe: I actually liked the heel turn and think that’s where Thorne’s future is. He’s a good-looking Australian guy, just typing that sentence pisses me off a little bit.

Jonah: Go to Australia, they think people with American accents are fascinating.

34. Jonah selects Cameron Grimes

Jonah: Cameron Grimes is super talented in the ring and has a very unique look. Great cruiserweights don’t look like dirty hobos, so I’m excited to get Grimes here. You may know him as Trevor Lee, a guy that dominated the TNA X Division for quite some time. I did not expect him to be able to wrestle like he did when I saw him, so he was immediately interesting. He’s 25, and could be a main event player on 205 Live right now. He’s not the biggest indy name around, but I really like him and think he’s going to do well for himself.

Joe: I’ve heard good things about Grimes but don’t have much knowledge of him myself. From what I’ve heard, this is a good pick, and I would have considered him in a few rounds had he still been on the board.

35. Jonah selects Chelsea Green

Jonah: Chelsea Green AKA Laurel Van Ness has actually been in the WWE before. I personally witnessed her debut in Portland on an episode of RAW as Daniel Bryan’s physical therapist that they were going to try and run an affair angle with. The crowd rightly shit all over it and she disappeared to TNA to hone her craft. She plays the crazy gimmick well, though I’m not a huge fan of the women be crazy gimmick itself. She’s got a good look, is good in the ring and has experience on national TV. She’s also engaged to a Broski, so you know she’s cool as hell.

Joe: I will say I was a little disappointed that you took Chelsea Green. She was next for me for available women in the draft, because she actually has shown personality. I feel like she should get a good push out of the gate when she is able to come back from injury.

36. Joe selects Bobby Fish

Joe: And somehow, someway, I managed to unite the entire Undisputed Era. Poor Bobby Fish is getting up there in age, and he has suffered numerous injuries since coming to NXT, but the guy is still a talent as he continues to put on great performances in tag matches but has so much experience that he can easily put on a great singles match as well. You can put him in there with anybody and be entertained, and that is Undisputed.

Jonah: I’ll be honest, I thought I had taken Bobby Fish about five rounds before he was taken, but I apparently only did that in my mind. Fish is a good wrestler, a good promo, and has a good look but man does he get hurt all the time. He’s been in NXT for two years and he’s been injured three quarters of the time including currently. I mean I can’t really trash the pick, because like I said I thought he was already on my roster.

37. Joe selects Riddick Moss

Joe: Did you see what this man did at the WWE PC Combine? He ANNIHILATED the competition. There is no conceivable way that it will not go down as the greatest athletic performance in Performance Center history, and this is a man who is less than a year removed from a ruptured achilles. The Riddick Regimen. It just worked now as it taught me that Regimen and Regiment are two different words. I actually am excited about his future, because he’s finally starting to show off a personality, and if he can really translate the athletic gifts to his in-ring work, he could turn into a hell of a talent.

Jonah: Look Moss is a big boy who’s a great athlete, but he don’t got that back meat like Sabatelli. He may be more athletic, but I already mentioned I don’t think he has near the charisma that Sabatelli does either. For the sake of both guy’s careers I’m willing to put the team back together using the Wildcard rule.

Joe: Jonah, you do realize that charisma is different than “ridiculous glute muscles,” because that’s all the charisma that Tino has shown. Riddick Moss has the Riddick Regimen, which is also not much right now, but I could see myself nodding along in a few months with how everybody’s doing the Riddick Regimen, or it will end up like Bull Dempsey’s fitness program. Either way, Riddick Moss will always be the greatest PC Combiner of all time.

Jonah: Charisma is whatever gets you over my friend, and the Riddick Regimen gimmick was him taking a break mid match to take a drink of water or a protein shake or something. The good news is it generated zero heat and he lost to a jobber.

38. Jonah selects Angelo Dawkins

Jonah: I knew I’d end up with my boy the other half of the Street Profits Angelo Dawkins. Joe isn’t high on him, but I think even he has to admit this is pretty damn late for an NXT Tag Team Champion to be picked. He’s been in developmental forever, but here’s the thing, he actually developed. Dawkins doesn’t have the charisma that Montez Ford does, but very few do. He’s a big boy with a legitimate athletic background. I know Joe’s not a fan, but Dawkins has legitimate potential for success.

Joe: Congratulations. You got the most Marty Jannetty tag partner since Marty Jannetty. I do like Dawkins, but he’s just a solid hand, so it’s tough for me to envision a bright future for the guy.

39. Jonah selects Jazzy Gabert

Jonah: Another homer female pick by me, Jazzy Gabert was actually a very early follower of my podcast so I had to make sure she ended up on my show. Beyond the loyalty, man what a look she has. She looks like an absolute monster that could destroy anyone she steps into the ring with. You may also remember her from the first Mae Young Classic where after her loss the crowd chanted “Sign Jazzy” in response to her impressive in ring performance. The WWE finally did, and although she’s 37, she’s someone who will absolutely be booked as a monster. She’s also 1-1 in MMA, so besides being huge and being able to put on a good match she can also shoot just in case.

Joe: I knew Jonah loved Jazzy, so I didn’t even bother doing any research on her as I knew she was not going to end up on my roster. I still have not done any research, but now I know she’s 37.

Jonah: All you need to know about her is she recognized my genius early, that makes her pretty smart in her own right.

40. Joe selects Brendan Vink

Joe: Australian Elliot Sexton, now known as Brendan Vink, but I know of him as my arch nemesis, as he once responded to my heckling by sexually harassing me by shaking his ass in my face at a PROGRESS show in Seattle. Luckily, Brody King beat him up for me that night. This is a case where you keep your friends close and your enemies closer. This dude is absolutely massive, and he is still wearing very tiny trunks while shaking his ass in front of fan’s faces, so that part has definitely not changed. Even before he signed with the WWE, he seemed like the most WWE guy available with his size and incredible charisma. It was kind of surprising that more people weren’t talking about Elliot Sexton. He will absolutely never be a babyface, but he is an ideal heel, and when he makes his television debut, I expect him to get a major push in NXT.

Jonah: He’s a handsome, cut Australian man. I guess I’m sorry he sexually harassed you, odd that you drafted him after that. If you ever want revenge on him just put him in the ring with anyone on my roster and they’ll destroy him.

Previously in the NXT Draft:
Picks 1-10

Picks 11-20

Picks 21-30

The Ultimate NXT Draft: Picks 21-30

It has been three years since Jonah and I did an NXT Fantasy Draft to make our picks of who are going to be the next great superstars in the WWE. Then, about six months ago, we reviewed all of the picks to figure out what went right and what went wrong. We realized three things through this process. First off, very few wrestlers are in NXT from that original draft, and even the ones that are have changed dramatically over the last few years. Second, and more importantly for the strategy of this draft, is that we realized we cannot rely on WWE success to determine the strength of our selections as many of their creative decisions do not optimize their talent. So this draft is not predicting future success as much as it is drafting the wrestlers that we would want to build our organization around. Finally, we decided to be inclusive in this draft so not only will we have NXT and all of the wrestlers at the Performance Center, but we will include everyone over in NXT UK and even 205 Live since all of them are still working to progress in their career.

We've knocked out the top 20, so let's continue with 21-30 with a range of everything from Indy darling to former champion to a guy who just wants to rock.

21. Joe selects Albert Hardie Jr. Jordan Myles

Joe: The wrestler formerly known as ACH was another great signing for the WWE, and I think he’ll have a very bright future, but he’s probably going to need a gimmick name as the last Albert I remember in WWE was named after a piercing in your weewee (Update: He just changed his name to Jordan Myles). Even though he’s not tall, he’s THICK, and he packs quite a bit of power in his frame. I know this is a bit of a hot take, but I’m not sure if I wouldn’t prefer ACH over Kushida going forward. I’d still lean Kushida, but it’s really close for me.

Jonah: Jordan Myles may be thick, but he’s still not that big. He is talented in the ring though, but there was a bigger more cut guy who could go like crazy in the ring named Apollo Crews and things haven’t worked out that well for him. He’s a good wrestler, but is that enough these days among a super talented roster?

Joe: I know they are both black and jacked, but I would say that ACH has shown about 300 million times more personality than Apollo Crews whose entire personality can be described as, “Smiles.” ACH has not only shown personality, but he had to have obtained some hidden gems while he was hanging with Ryusuke Taguchi, the most hilarious man in professional wrestling. Expect the newly christened Jordan Myles to make A LOT of 69 jokes.

Jonah: Crews would say “Worldwide”, that’s money baby.

22. Jonah selects Dominik Dijakovic

Jonah: Dijakovic is recovering from knee surgery right now, but he’s a really talented prospect. He’s big, has a good look, is talented inside the ring and has an intense charisma about him. He won ROH’s top prospect tournament in 2015. There are big things in the future for Dijakovic once he heals up. He has all the tools to be a big player in NXT and on the main roster.

Joe: Ah, you took my fellow Croatian away from me. I was hoping he would fall into my next picks, but alas, it was not meant to be. He’s really fun in the ring. I got to see him against Ricochet at an NXT TV taping, and it was the best match of the entire four hours of wrestling. They ended up showing like three minutes of it on TV, but it was actually this incredible 12-minute back-and-forth match that was nonstop action and fun. As long as he stops being accidentally racist, things should be good for him in his career.

Jonah: It’s not like being overtly racist hurts your career in WWE.

23. Jonah selects Rhea Ripley

Jonah: Ripley was the first Women’s UK Champion, losing the title to earlier pick Toni Storm. She’s another woman I expect to still be on the main roster a decade from now putting on great matches. She’s talented in the ring and looks like a badass and plays the character well. She had a good showing at the 2019 Royal Rumble and is 22 years old. She will make a big jump in the next draft.

Joe: She is good, and I felt like there was a severe drop-off for women after this pick, so I stayed away for quite a while. She is good right now, has the potential to be better, so I can’t really disagree with anything Jonah said.

24. Joe selects Babatunde

Joe: Babatunde has been on the NXT Florida loop for nearly three years now. He’s massive at 6’9” and 350 pounds, and he has definitely shown improvement in the ring over the last couple years. With that sort of size, he doesn’t need to be great in the ring, and he’s a good enough athlete that he moves well enough to put on good matches. I have never heard him speak, so no clue about that, but with his size and athleticism, he could become something special, and his floor is incredibly high as just being that big makes him a threat to anyone.

Jonah: My boy Babatunde, just remember I was excited to take him years ago. No idea about his promo ability, but he is Polish so maybe he has a strong accent so they keep him silent. The most important fact about him is that he’s a former Minnesota Viking, so I assume he’ll do really well but never win the big one. Self burn.

25. Joe selects Roderick Strong

Joe: Roderick Strong this late in the game is a pretty incredible value. He has already proven that he can put on great matches on a big stage, and him turning heel has also helped his character work. I would say he probably has the least charisma in the Undisputed Era, but third place is Bobby Fish who is super charismatic and Cole and O’Reilly are both just overflowing with charisma. The guy is a workhorse and getting a third member of the best faction in WWE is just incredible for my organization, and that is undisputed.

Jonah: My draft was more focused on potential and youth and it caused Roddy to slide too far. He needs to be a heel forever because he was the most boring babyface in the entire world. He’s a hell of a wrestler and he still has plenty to offer, but I see him transitioning to a guy who puts the young talent over very soon, if he hasn’t already.

Joe: Geez, Jonah, he’s 35, not 55. His match against Matt Riddle showed that he isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

26. Jonah selects Dakota Kai

Jonah: I’m on Team Kick for sure. Dakota Kai is one of my favorites, and I am a huge fan of her in ring work. She also has that goofy, geeky charisma about her. She’s stuck feuding with some people who are very low on the card now, but she can go in the ring. Since this draft is more about who we enjoy I’m very happy to get Kai.

Joe: I’m more of a Dakota Kai hater as she just doesn’t do it for me. She had a semi-feud with Shayna Baszler, and I never felt invested in her character or in-ring work. It just kind of happened. That being said, a lot of people like her more than I do, so maybe this is something I will just be late on in the future. You probably could have had her 40 picks later.

Jonah: Your loss my friend, Dakota Kai will be a star when she gets the chance.

27. Jonah selects Tony Nese

Jonah: Have you seen this guy’s abs? Amazing. He’s certainly got the right look to be a big success and he’s the current WWE Cruiserweight Champion. I was a big fan of his matches against Buddy Murphy, though I do realize Murphy is a hell of a wrestler. I’ll take a talented wrestler with a good look who’s a current champion in this position all day.

Joe: I have seen his abs, and we saw a significant dropoff in his matches when he started taking on Ariya Daivari instead of Buddy Murphy. He’s okay, but I don’t see a huge ceiling with him as I think Poor Man’s PAC is a little too lofty for Nese. He’s probably Poor Man’s Adrian Neville.

Jonah: Adrian Neville had John Cena beat for the US Title before Seth Rollins interfered and never got a rematch. What ever happened to that guy?

Joe: He grew a beard, got way worse, and became Tony Nese?

Jonah: I think Neville is with that blond girl that Joey Ryan used to hang out with.

28. Joe selects Damian Priest

Joe: I felt very fortunate for Damian Priest to fall to me to this round. Not only is his name a real brain teaser. Damian is a name that has a negative connotation in America, but it actually means to tame and be peaceful. Meanwhile, the word priest is supposed to be a man of God, but they are mostly known for diddling little kids. So, is this guy going to tame his enemies or diddle their kids? Only time will tell.

In all some seriousness, the man formerly known as Punishment Martinez is an ideal prospect for the WWE as he has a unique look, plenty of size, and some great in-ring work. I’ve seen very little promo work from him, but the guy can go, and to get him this late in the draft is great value for me.

Jonah: Damian Priest was on my list, but I guess I underestimated where he would go in the draft. I saw some of his work in ROH and thought he was pretty good. Damian Priest is a stupid name, but I probably should have taken him a round or two earlier, this is a good pick by Joe.

29. Joe selects Rik Bugez

Joe: Apparently I love guys who just got new names as Eric Bugenhagen has become Rik Bugez, and this pick rocks. Eric Bugenhagen has become an air guitar superstar. Combine that with his high pitch yell which is something that you really need to hear in person, Bugez is everything that is stupid and wonderful about professional wrestling. The guy was sent out to be a jobber, and he got so over that they made him do an encore air guitar performance. I haven’t really seen him wrestle more than two minutes at a time, so I can’t really say how great he will be there, but he was a Division I wrestler for Wisconsin so the athletic traits are certainly there. Even if the guy is just capable in the ring, the charisma is enough where he will be a fun guy to cheer for during his career.

Jonah: This is bull jive because I didn’t notice Rik Bugez on the list of NXT talent, but I certainly would have noticed Eric Bugenhagen and can guarantee I would have taken him earlier than this. Something that Joe didn’t mention is that Bugez is apparently insanely strong so he can do impressive stuff while being super charismatic and get over. Very good round for Joe, very disappointing for me.

30. Jonah selects Tino Sabbatelli

Jonah: He’s got those butt implants, all sorts of other muscles, and got the Maserati in the divorce from Riddick Moss. Oh he’s also got Mandy Rose. He’s big, has a great look and has the NFL athleticism, he should do well. His downside is that he’s old and has had injuries in the past, but he is an incredible heel. The crowd would chant at him during his tag matches with Moss, completely ignoring Riddick. Honestly they should just put them back together as a team, they’re a solid heel tag team.

Joe: How do you even know about this stuff, Jonah? I have no clue on who is dating who, and you appear to be the man in the know. Anyway, he definitely has a great look, and that is where all of his heat comes from. He’s the guy you want to shield your girl’s eyes from when he comes out. The problem is that he isn’t very charismatic, and he’s not very good in the ring, but other than that, the man is a star.

Jonah: Joe, I am the greatest mind in professional wrestling in this or any generation. I literally know everything. Remind me to tell you about the time when I went to a wrestling trivia night and dominated so hard I drove off a table of people who showed up with replica belts.

Joe: I’m not sure if that’s sad or impressive.

Jonah: Things can be both.

Previously in the NXT Draft:
Picks 1-10

Picks 11-20

The Ultimate NXT Draft: Picks 11-20

It has been three years since Jonah and I did an NXT Fantasy Draft to make our picks of who are going to be the next great superstars in the WWE. Then, about six months ago, we reviewed all of the picks to figure out what went right and what went wrong. We realized three things through this process. First off, very few wrestlers are in NXT from that original draft, and even the ones that are have changed dramatically over the last few years. Second, and more importantly for the strategy of this draft, is that we realized we cannot rely on WWE success to determine the strength of our selections as many of their creative decisions do not optimize their talent. So this draft is not predicting future success as much as it is drafting the wrestlers that we would want to build our organization around. Finally, we decided to be inclusive in this draft so not only will we have NXT and all of the wrestlers at the Performance Center, but we will include everyone over in NXT UK and even 205 Live since all of them are still working to progress in their career.

Today, we continue the series with the wrestlers who fell just beyond the top 10 picks.

11. Jonah selects Shayna Baszler

Jonah: She’s the NXT women’s champ and a very talented wrestler to boot. She’s not a great promo, but she’s not terrible either. She gets her point across through actions rather than words which works well for her. Baszler clearly made the transition from MMA to pro wrestling very smoothly, and she has good worked strikes as well as a strong technical wrestling ability. She’s a great heel, who generates lots of hate, but the good pro wrestling kind of hate. While Baszler was never anywhere near Ronda Rousey in terms of MMA, she may end up surpassing her in professional wrestling.

Joe: I would say that I’m actually a bigger fan of her promos than you seem to be. Her promos fit her wrestling style where she is a bully, and even though she can get mumbly in her promos, it totally fits that this is the bully that you can’t say anything to, because she will kick the crap out of you. She’s been the Women’s NXT Champion for quite a while, so it’s pretty easy to make the case that she should have been the first woman taken. Obviously, I am not making that case, but it’s not due to any flaw I see in Baszler, just the ceiling that I see in Belair.

12. Joe selects Io Shirai

Joe: There were only a small number of women that I really valued highly in the WWE system. There’s many more with potential to wow, but I wanted to get some guaranteed women that could carry my fantasy organization. I think it’s fairly safe to say that Io Shirai is the best women’s wrestler in NXT, and she might simply be the best women’s wrestler in the world. I’m not going to get into all of the arguments for other ladies in the WWE and around the world, but all you really need to know is Io Shirai OWNS. Now that she has unleashed her sadistic side by attacking Shayna Baszler after their Takeover match, I am really excited to see where things go for her. The sky is certainly the limit for this Genius.

Jonah: We need to get further down the list so I can actually shit talk some of your picks. I really wanted Shirai, she’s extremely talented. She does have the same issue Kushida does in having English as her second language, but that’s really her only downside. It’s actually an incredible compliment to NXT that I’m not sure if she’s the best women’s wrestler there, but she’s definitely one of the top ones. I see her challenging for the newly formed women’s trio belts with Kairi Sane and Asuka in 2022.

13. Joe selects Candice LeRae

Joe: This is me drafting with my heart instead of my brain. Now don’t get me wrong, Candice LeRae wasn’t going to fall much further than this, but even I have to admit that Pete Dunne was probably the way to go with this pick if I was picking logically. But Candice LeRae is responsible for me falling in love with independent wrestling.

Back in 2015, my brother and I went to our first WrestleMania. This was before Indys took over WrestleMania weekend, but I did find out about the WrestleCon Supershow. They announced some of the names that would be there, but there were also a lot of surprises. Most of the names meant nothing to me, because I was fully a WWE guy at the time. I was most interested in nostalgia, so needless to say, my mind was blown when Disco Inferno was in the opening match as I thought he was a big enough name to main event the card. The matches were fun, and I was seeing things that were definitely blowing my mind, but nothing compared to the tag match.

The World’s Cutest Tag Team, Joey Ryan and Candice LeRae, took on the World’s Dudest Tag Team, Caleb Konley and Zane Riley (in drag). I didn’t know matches like this happened. I didn’t know women could be competitive with men. I didn’t know women could suplex men by their testicles. Most of all, I didn’t know wrestling could be this fun. Candice was the star of the match as she absolutely laid it all on the line and just went balls (ovaries?) out. Pete Dunne is objectively great, but I’m good to stick with the blonde girl.

Jonah: Joey Ryan? Whatever happened to that blonde girl he used to hang out with? He really needs her watching his back. LeRae is great, the only downside is that she hasn’t really been able to show her full skill set in NXT yet. They need to show she’s a real threat and a real wrestler, but Mrs. Wrestling should have a bright future ahead of her.

14. Jonah selects Pete Dunne

Jonah: Pete Dunne is straight up awesome. I’m sure this will get a big reaction out of Joe, but he’s as good as WALTER in the ring, and he has that same presence where he just feels like a big deal when he shows up. People just love the guy. He’s also only 25 years old. I think he has a real shot at becoming the first British WWE World Champion.

Joe: I am not about to dispute that Pete Dunne is awesome. That dude straight up owns. He’s phenomenal in the ring, and if Candice LeRae didn’t mean way too much to me, I would have taken him earlier. I have no issue with you saying he’s as good as WALTER in the ring; in fact, he might be better, but saying he has the presence of WALTER? Come on, now. WALTER walks into a grocery store, and people stop scanning items; Pete Dunne walks into the grocery store, and people ask him if he needs help reaching the top shelf.

Jonah: Pete Dunne is one of the most over people in all of NXT, that’s presence. He’s a badass without being big, that’s presence.

15. Jonah selects Toni Storm

Jonah: I’m not sure if this pick was a bit of a shock or not, but Joe had taken some talented women and I needed to make sure I wasn’t left behind. Storm was specifically mentioned by Becky Lynch as someone she would like to face at Wrestlemania in the future. She was a quarter finalist in the first Mae Young Classic and won the second. She’s the current WWE UK Women’s Champion and is incredibly over. She is beautiful, talented in the ring and over at the ripe old age of 23. She’ll be one of the top women’s stars in the WWE for the next 10 to 15 years once she moves to the main roster. She’s from New Zealand, so there’s nothing keeping her in the UK. Put it down, in a few years she will be a very early pick in a WWE mock draft.

Joe: I definitely expected Toni Storm to go in this range. She’s good in the ring and still has a lot of potential for more. I saw her live in one match, and since her opponent was garbage, the match kind of left a bad taste in my mouth since I was expecting to be wowed. I think that’s more the struggle of being a woman on the independent scene than anything against her though. She’s quite good, but I felt better about some other women on the roster.

16.Joe selects Shane Strickland Isaiah Scott

Joe: When we first started this draft, his name was still Shane Strickland, but he has been fully taken over by the WWE machine to become Isaiah Scott. You can call him whatever you want, but the guy has been one of the top independent wrestlers out there for the last few years. Jonah already hinted at it in the Matt Riddle portion of this draft, but seeing “Swerve” take on “The King of Bros” at Defy in Seattle was without a doubt one of the best matches I have ever seen, and it may very well have that top spot in my personal rankings. Anyway, I have personally seen Strickland have many great matches, some against well known guys like Cage, and some against some surprising names like Fabian Aichner and Jimmy Havoc. He’s awesome in the ring, and he has a persona that translates very well to WWE. It’ll be interesting where he gets slotted in early on as he won a ton of titles on the independent scene, but it never seemed like he reached the peak “indy darling” status. My only immediate hope is that he gets to keep the “Swerve” nickname. He’s an immense talent, can have great matches with anyone and could be somebody who Jonah deeply regrets not taking in a year or two.

Jonah: This one hurt. Isaiah Scott, AKA Shane Strickland AKA Swerve AKA Killshot is awesome. He’s incredibly talented in the ring, I mean he’s the other half of my favorite match that I’ve seen in person. His persona is good, but to be honest, his promo skills need some work. I guess it isn’t a huge deal when you’re that good in the ring, but if his promo skills develop in NXT he’s an early pick in our next draft.

Joe: I think he has shown a good amount in promos, especially with some of his work in MLW. I also admire the guy for starting a podcast to just get himself talking more; it’s a really great way to build comfort and piece ideas together verbally.

17.Joe selects Kacy Catanzaro

Joe: This was the last woman’s wrestler that I rated very highly on my list, and it is still a ton of projection, but the agility and balance is so ridiculous compared to anyone I have seen in women’s wrestling that she could be a true game changer. She is very small as I’m pretty sure she’ll be looking up to Alexa Bliss, but the athleticism is so out of this world that her potential is out of this world. Also, right now, I have only seen her strength used to support her own body weight, but considering how strong you have to be to succeed in American Ninja Warrior, it wouldn’t shock me if she showed some freakish strength in her matches at some point. And since I had my four horsewomen (everything is some variation of the Four Horsemen when describing four people in professional wrestling), I took some time off and let Jonah take the next seven ladies in this draft.

Jonah: Athleticism is off the charts, really unbelievable stuff. I actually remember watching her on one of the only episodes of Ninja Warrior I’ve ever seen, she can do things that 99.9% of people can’t, just like her boyfriend Ricochet. What a fun mixed tag challenge team they would make. She’s cute and can clearly play the underdog, book her like a female Rey Mysterio and things will go well for her.

Joe: I don’t think she has a 20-year-old kid that can stand around the back with her for months for no reason, but I love the idea of Catanzaro vs. Samoa Joe.

Jonah: Talk about a new money gimmick for Ricochet.

18. Jonah selects Tyler Bate

Jonah: Bate is a guy who seems to have gotten a bit lost in the shuffle of WALTER and Pete Dunne, but man can he still wrestle like a boss. He’s another guy with that same natural charisma, he got over by touching his moustache. He’s also crazy strong, especially for his size, he can really play off that by deadlift suplexing guys much bigger than him and getting those Cesaro pops. I’ve been a big fan of youth so far and Bate is the youngest of them all at 22.

Joe: Yeah, I probably would have taken Tyler Bate with my next go-around, but Catanzaro was the last woman that I felt like I needed to get. Bate is incredible in the ring for his age, and although his only discernible personality trait is, “has mustache,” currently, I think he will develop more of a persona as time goes on.

19. Jonah selects Mia Yim

Jonah: Yim is a talented wrestler who has experience performing for a “national” company in TNA as their world champion. I think her character is interesting and unique as it’s very different than what is usually seen from Asian females in professional wrestling. Her uniqueness and her wrestling talent will eventually lead to at least an NXT Women’s Title run for her, and she’s 29 meaning she has plenty of time left to succeed on the main roster as well.

Joe: Jonah, you love the ages of people. I do like Mia Yim as I think she’s very good, but I haven’t been wowed by her. She had a very entertaining series of matches with Bianca Belair, but I’m certainly not ready to crown her a future NXT Champion, a belt that Becky Lynch never obtained.

Jonah: As a guy who can barely walk at my age, let me tell you that age does matter. I draft for the future.

20.Joe selects Tommaso Ciampa

Joe: Neck injuries are scary, but modern medical procedures have elevated the chances of a full recovery. In real life, I am hoping for a full recovery from Ciampa, who has been through a lot of tough things, and deserves a positive break. As for my fantasy organization, this pick makes sense at this point since I really don’t have any reason to believe Johnny Gargano is better than Ciampa, so I’m getting an extra top-5 pick at best, top-10 at worst. Ciampa is really great at telling a story in the ring, and yeah, I just hope he gets healthy in real life, because he’s always been a pleasure to watch.

Jonah: Ciampa fell too far, he’s awesome in the ring and very charismatic, but man has he been hurt a lot. It’s not just his recent neck injury, but his old knee injury that worries me as well. I love Ciampa and I hope he comes back healthy and stays healthy.

Previously in the NXT Draft:
Picks 1-10